Hope Tech Unleashes a Dream Build to Dominate Your 2021 MTB Adventures

If you’ve never heard of this killer bicycle team, you wouldn’t be the first. I, too, was left staring at my computer screen when I stumbled upon their work and I stare at bikes all day long. Just a quick note about the Hope team - they’ve been manufacturing bicycle components since 1989, and are now putting out their own fully equipped bikes.

The one you see in the cover photo is known as the HB.130-FR. That FR stands for Factory Racing and introduces the common man to this team’s standard for excellence. Just to understand how seriously these people take their jobs, this one is known as the Dream Build. Check out the video below to see almost the entire process behind putting it together. I’m just going to warn you beforehand: take 30 minutes off your day to really enjoy the entire process.

Now, this bike is different so it only seems fitting that I present it differently as well. Still, as always, we can start with the frame.

The entire process starts with a mold. Within this mold, layer upon layer of carbon fiber segments is set in place by hand. Just look at the forearms of those gentlemen; they definitely look like bodybuilders. From there, two halves of carbon fiber are fused together to finally present the frame you see. Smoothed and painted by hand, it comes hot with a lifetime warranty. Heck, with an RRP of $9,500, it'd better come with something more than just looks.

As for the suspension, it features an Ohlins M2 RFX fork with 150 mm (5.9 in), while the rear is supported with another Ohlins TTX coil with 547-lb (248-kg) spring that offers 130 mm (5.1 in) of travel. If you’re worried about its ability to handle whatever you find, don’t; you’ll be fine.

Now, like any factory build, this team also tried to keep it as full of ‘Hope’ as possible. That said, we find a hope stem, carbon bars, shifter mount, brakes, and even rotors - all from Hope. Why do this? That's simple: it’s the best way to showcase what you can do as a team and what your components can achieve.

One system that is of a different manufacturer is the drivetrain. But not just any drivetrain as SRAM brings the fun with a 2021 setup. For cranks, we have Carbon X01. Chain and cassette are of the new 12-speed Eagle setup, while mech and shifter are also X01. The wheels are also from Hope with their 29-inch PRO4 on FORTUS 26. But tires are furnished by Maxxis with their Minion line.

Put all that together, and you get one hell of a trail-ripping monster that needs no batteries or motors. The only thing needed is a good set of developed legs.

But let’s say that you don’t like some of the components; well, Hope has you covered with a huge number of upgrade kits you can choose from. You got your carbon wheels, Ohlins suspension kit, Mullet conversion kit, a Hope EVO crankset, and an SRAM AXS upgrade. All of which cost extra, of course.